Though they had only received a short period of training, their lineup and marching were as good as that of regular troops, and they attracted people’s attention immediately when they crossed Tiananmen Square. When General Yang Chengwu, who was on the Tiananmen Rostrum, told the leaders including Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De that they were militia representatives from Hebei Province, Shanxi Province and Beijing suburban areas and had been trained for just over 20 days, the leaders including Mao praised them repeatedly.

Volko Chervenkov, one Soviet Union leader, said to Mao, “A nation at arms is really great.” Mao said, “This is the great power of the masses.” Mao told Volko Chervenkov proudly, “There are already 50 militia divisions in Beijing, and the militiamen across the country were organized within a very short time. They took military training, and soon will become strong. After the training, the workers and farmers can produce better, the students can study better and the cadres can work better,” Mao added, “the military is not only a military organization, but also a working organization, an education organization and a sports organization.” Liu Shaoqi told Volko Chervenkov, “There are soldiers everywhere in China so the invaders have nowhere to go.” Volko Chervenkov asked, “How long has they been organized?” “Less than one month,” Mao replied, smiling.